The Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview Inches Closer To Public Release With A Subtle, Yet Meaningful Update

Contents

An awful lot of hype for a computer program

12 AI prompts I use to get more done in less time

Summary

Gemini 2.5 Pro just got another update, although it’s still in Preview status and doesn’t offer a paid tier with full access.
Google cites multiple benchmark improvements and its attention to feedback as proof it’s more effective than ever.
Gemini 2.5 Pro and 2.5 Flash are slated for full public release sometime this month, but you can already access the Flash model in the Gemini app.

Google unveiled the Gemini 2.5 Pro model in late March, followed by Gemini 2.5 Flash a month later. Both are still technically in Preview status rather than stable, and anybody can try out the 2.5 Flash model wherever the Gemini app is available. It’s faster, more comprehensive, and more consistent than anything Google’s put out yet.

Gemini 2.5 Pro is a slightly different story. Only paid users can access it before it goes live, and the pricing is considerably higher than that of Google’s other models. But Google is making every effort to ensure it’s as capable as possible, with the recent update following hot on the heels of the upgrade it received in preparation for May’s Google I/O event. Google touts some improved benchmark numbers to prove the current Preview model is the best in the business, but the real story could be the more subtle adjustments under the hood (Source: 9to5Google).

Illustration of two checklists, one labeled Gemini and another ChatGPT, with several thumbs down around it

An awful lot of hype for a computer program

This had better be good

Google doesn’t pull any punches regarding the purpose of the Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview. It’s not aimed at the average consumer, there’s no full-featured free tier, and the more lightweight Gemini 2.5 Flash is quite effective in its place. Google positions 2.5 Pro as its “state-of-the-art thinking model,” capable of “analyzing large datasets, codebases, and documents using long context.” It isn’t meant for putting sunglasses on your dog, but getting serious work done with supposedly academic levels of rigor.

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To that end, Google’s biggest claims around Gemini 2.5 Pro’s latest update — a “24-point Elo score jump on LMArena,” a “35-point Elo jump to lead on WebDevArena at 1443,” and “top-tier performance on GPQA and Humanity’s Last Exam” — won’t mean much to most smartphone owners. But the model’s intended market of developers and researchers will be at least somewhat familiar with those benchmarks.

We also addressed feedback from our previous 2.5 Pro release, improving its style and structure — it can be more creative with better-formatted responses. — Google, on the latest Gemini update

The real potential for improvement comes from the more intricate adjustments made, which Google tends to keep close to the vest. All Google really offered was the promise it addressed feedback, but that could mean a lot. Users have spoken up in recent weeks about decreased performance, due to whatever fine-tuning Deepmind was up to at the time. By taking feedback into account — which is the point of a preview phase, after all — Google should be able to improve Gemini performance in ways that benchmarks don’t capture.

With all that said, there’s no way to know exactly what changes occurred behind the scenes with this upgrade. What we do know is that Google’s most powerful, industry-focused model and its enhanced Thinking function, expansive Deep Research abilities, and field-leading benchmarks indicate it should continue to upend the professional world. And, considering Google has already relaxed query limits for paid Pro users, it might even be a little more affordable once it goes live later this month.